Americans are wrestling with drug abuse on unprecedented levels as the opioid epidemic explodes. The pain and suffering is real, with both employees and employers paying a heavy price. Opioid abuse costs companies $18 billion a year according to benefits firm Castlight. In addition, Castlight found nearly half of all employer painkiller spending is associated with abuse, and the medical costs for these folks are double those of non-abusers.
The opioid epidemic has hit construction particularly hard. It is one of a handful of industries where the number of employees suffering from substance abuse is twice the national average. Construction firms feel the pinch of employee addiction in many ways, including costs due to missed workdays, healthcare expenses, job turnover and related re-training costs. For example, the National Safety Council’s substance abuse employer costs calculator reveals that drug abuse could set a 150-person construction firm in Illinois back $57,387.
Tight Labor Market, Industry Culture Contribute to High Abuse Rate
The bursting of the housing bubble and subsequent Great Recession likely has a lot to do with why there is such a high prevalence of opioids in construction today. Jobs were eliminated and skilled labor left the workforce at a time when bleak job prospects prevented young people from taking their place. When the housing and construction industries boomed again, an aging workforce had to shoulder a larger load without a younger generation to pick up the slack.
Now construction veterans are worried about how they might be perceived by taking too much time off work, even for legitimate purposes, like injury recovery. In most corners of construction, workers feel a need to push through pain to show their toughness and reliability. If a pill of oxycodone or fentanyl can get them through the workday—and at one point drug makers were claiming the effects could last longer than that—then laborers might do what they think they need to do to make ends meet. Unfortunately a pill here and a pill there can lead to addiction, creating bigger problems for both employee and employer.
Where Companies Must Help
So how do companies deal with opioid dependence, high healthcare costs and a decrease in workplace safety? First, they can automate particularly hazardous parts of the job. A good rule of thumb in construction is to keep boots on the ground whenever possible. For example, drones can now conduct site inspections from above, reducing the need to put workers in precarious positions.
While there is certainly sensitivity surrounding automation as both union and non-union laborers are concerned about being pushed out of their jobs, the reality is that machines can benefit construction workers by automating menial tasks, not entire jobs. By turning to a bricklaying machine or using a wheelbarrow to move dirt, risk of a catastrophe has been reduced.
Small-scale automation can protect workers beyond just preventing physical injury. Now business owners and sometimes individual employees can be charged criminally for violations that produce extreme consequences. It’s a safe bet that the perpetrator will not get the benefit of the doubt from investigators if he or she is under the influence at the time of the incident. Tech upgrades may feel costly up front. However, if they prevent accidents caused by inebriated workers, they may save years of legal fees, settlements and higher insurance premiums.
Kinder, Gentler Drug Testing
While many construction companies have declared offices and job sites drug-free zones, it may be time to discuss across-the-board mandatory testing for opioids and other banned substances. Drug testing is a delicate issue, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The ultimate goal of any testing program is to ensure that jobsites are safe for everyone.
If done right, positive tests shouldn’t spark a witch hunt. Instead, employers should get their employees the help they need. Treatment has proven to be a more effective remedy than discipline. Employee assistance programs that include initial care, counseling and follow-up services are often 25 to 200 percent more cost-effective than replacing an employee. With quality labor still scarce, the best workers are too valuable to let go when effective alternatives for treatment and prevention exist.
Once a third-rail topic, cannabis, which is now legal for recreational use in eight states and permitted for medicinal purposes in 19 others, is being studied to determine its feasibility for medical use in another highly physical industry. Thus, construction executives should continue to monitor the conversation about medicinal marijuana in the workplace in the event it is determined to be a safer and more cost-effective remedy in the coming years. Companies that are adamant about maintaining drug-free workplaces can continue to test, but can also consider making exceptions for employees who can document medical prescriptions. Of course, even with a prescription, employees should never be allowed to be under the influence at work.
If left unchecked, the opioid epidemic only stands to hurt the industry more in the near future. It’s time to acknowledge that prescription drug abuse is a major business problem and that there are options to attack it, including purposeful automation, appropriate testing and treatment programs.
